Later, Kida closed a large stone door as she leaves the throne room.
Behind a column, Milo peered seeing her as Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy were with him.
"OK, Milo, don't take no for an answer." Milo said. "'Look, I have some questions for you and I'm not leaving this city until they're answered!" Yeah, that's it. That's good, that's good."
"Okay." Chris said.
They peered behind the column again, but saw no sign of Kida.
"Where'd she go?" Martin wondered.
They looked around as then Kida silently drops down behind them, and went up to Milo and placed her over Milo's mouth.
"I have some questions for you and you are not leaving this city until they are answered." Kida said.
"Yeah, well, I... OK." Milo said.
"Shh! Come with me." Kida said.
She then pulls Milo away.
They followed Kida by the side of a temple near a waterfall, and Kida dragged Milo further.
Soon, they got to an old temple ruin.
"Oh, there is so much to ask about your world." Kida said. "You are a scholar, are you not?" She pulled Milo down from a rock. "Judging from your diminishing physique and large forehead, you are suited for nothing else. What is your country origin?" She then took Milo's glasses and placed them on her. "When did the flood waters recede? How did you..."
"Wait a minute." Milo said. "I got a few questions for you, too. So let's do this, OK?" he took his glasses back and placed them on. "You ask one, then I'll ask one, then you, then me, then... Well, you get it."
"In case you're wondering, the flood waters where your city once stood is still underwater." Aviva said. "Whatever that is."
"Very well." Kida said. "What is your first question?"
"Well, OK, uh, how did you get here?" Milo asked. "Well, I mean not you personally but your- your culture. I mean, how did all of this end up down here?"
"What Milo means is how exactly did Atlantis ended up so far from the surface." Chris said. "It's basically one of the biggest mysteries about it. And is it true that a giant wave washed over Atlantis?"
"It is said that the gods became jealous of Atlantis." Kida explained. "They sent a great cataclysm and banished us here. All I can remember is the sky going dark, and people shouting and running. Then, a bright light, like a star, floating above the city. My father said it called my mother to it. I never saw her again."
"I'm sorry." Milo said remorsefully. "If it... if it's any consolation, I-I know how you feel, because I lost my- Wait a minute." He suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute! Whoa, back up! Wh... what... what are you telling me that you remember because you were there?"
"You were there that day?" Koki said bewildered.
"No, that-that's impossible, because, I mean, that would make you... you know, 8.500-8.800 years old." Milo said.
"Yes." Kida said.
Milo remained momentarily bewilderedly silent. "Oh, well, hey, uh, pfft! Lookin' good. Just, uh, ahem... You got another question for me?"
"Yes. How is it you found your way to this place?" Kida asked.
"Well, I'll tell you, it wasn't easy." Milo said reaching into his bag and brought out the Shepard's Journal as Kida then took it and looked through it. "If it weren't for this book, we never would have made it."
Kida looked through some pages.
"OK, second question." Milo said. "Legend has it that your people possessed a power source that enabled them..."
"You mean you can understand this?" Kida said.
"Yes, I'm a linguist." Milo said. "That's what I do, that's my job. Now, getting back to my question..."
"This, right here, you can red this?" Kida showed the book near Milo's face.
"Yes, yes, I can red Atlantean, just like you." Milo said.
Kida looked through the Journal again, however looked a bit clueless as if she couldn't understand it.
"Can you?" Koki asked.
"You can't, can you?" Milo asked.
"No one can." Kida said. "Such knowledge has been lost to us since the time of the Mehbelmok."
"Oh, the Great Flood." Milo said.
"Show me." Kida said giving the Journal to Milo.
"OK, uh..." Milo looked through a section and read in Atlantean.
"'Follow the narrow passage for another league. There you will find the fifth marker.'" Kida translated.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's it?" Milo said. "How was my accent?"
"Boorish, provincial, and you speak it through your nose." Kida said.
"Yeah, gotta work on that." Milo said.
"Here, let me show you something." Kida said.
They followed Kida to a tarp covering something, and she pulls it off revealing what looked like a stoned fish called a Ketak.
"What? It looks like some... sort of vehicle." Milo said.
"Interesting. So well carved." Aviva said examining it. "Hmm, aerodynamic design."
"Yes." Kida said. "But no matter what I try, it will not respond. Perhaps if..."
"Way ahead of you." Milo said. "OK, let's see what we got here." He then saw what looked like instructions in Atlantean on an inscription pad with a slot. "OK. "Place crystal into slot"."
"Yes, yes, I have done that!" Kida said and paced around.
"'Gently place your hand on the inscription pad.'" Milo read another section.
"Yes!" Kida said.
"OK, did you turn the crystal one-quarter turn back?" Milo asked.
"Yes. Yes!" Kida said.
"While your hand was on the inscription pad?" Milo asked again.
"Ye... No." Kida admitted.
"Ah, well, see, there's your problem right there." Milo said. "That's an easy thing to miss. You know, you deserve credit for even... even gettin' this far." He saw the deadplan look she had with her arms crossed. "OK, uh, give it a try."
Kida removed her necklace and placed the crystal in the slot, and turns it one-quarter back with her right hand on the pad this time. It then glowed a bright blue, and then Kida removes the crystal from the slot as then the Ketak hovers a few feet off the ground as Kida gasped as they took a step back.
Kida then spoke Atlantean in disbelief.
"Yeah, you got that right." Milo said.
"Amazing." Martin said. "You Atlanteans actually discovered powered flight, way before we did."
"Incredible." Aviva said. "And we've just figured it out flight just 2 years ago with the Wright brothers."
"Oh, th... this is great!" Milo said as they went up to the Ketak and Martin got on it. "With this thing I could see the whole city in no time at all. Wonder how fast it goes."
"Hey, how do you make it move, anyway?" Martin wondered.
Milo and Martin then press a finger on the pad, and then suddenly the Ketak took off like a rocket as Martin held on with dear life as it crashed into the walls and bounced off them like a pinball.
"WHERE IS THE OFF BUTTON ON THIS THING?!" Martin yelled.
The group watched them bounced off different walls, and then the Ketak flew towards them as they ducked. And then a crash was heard as the Ketak hits the wall hard as they turn to it as it made a sputtering sound as a dazed Martin fell off it.
And Kida turns to Milo with an uneasy look.
"So, who's hungry?" Milo asked.
"I'm okay." Martin said completely dazed.
Later, they followed Kida as they climbed up a wall.
"By the way, we were never properly introduced." Milo said. "My name's Milo."
"I'm Chris." Chris introduced himself. "My brother, Martin. Aviva, Koki and Jimmy."
"My name is Kidagakash." Kida said turning to them.
"Ki-Ki-Kidamaschnaga." Milo said trying to said it. "Uh, hey, you got a nickname?"
Kida giggled as she nears the top. "Kida."
A flock of Parrot Lizards then flew off.
"OK, Kida." Milo said reaching the top. "I can remember that."
They then got to the top of a temple and saw a great view.
"Wow." Milo said.
all around them was the entire city of Atlantis.
"Beautiful." Aviva said.
Milo watched the view and sighed as a tear formed.
"What is wrong?" Kida asked.
"Oh, it's nothing." Milo said rubbing his eyes. "I just... got something in my eye." He placed his glasses back on. "You know, my grandpa used to tell me stories about this place as far back as I can remember. I just wish he could be standing here with me."
"Thaddeus would've truly loved it." Chris said.
Down below, Atlanteans were by the lake as some stood on sticks as they harvested fish, like some people in places do the same.
Nearby, Kida showed Milo, Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy by the fishing area.
An Atlantean spoke as another pulls out a net and brought out a few strange lobster-like creatures. One of them tossed the creature Milo, and he struggled as the creature tried to fight it's way free.
"Ah! Ah! Ee-yah!" Milo yelped avoiding it's pincers.
Kida then grabbed the creature as it around, and then bites down on it's neck with a hard crunch as it limped.
"Very interesting." Martin said looking at the creature. "It's almost like the big guy we saw before, and kinda looks like an Eurypterid."
"Tell me more about your companions." Kida said placing the creature in Milo's bag. "Your physician, he is called Cookie?"
"No, that's Sweet." Milo corrected.
"What is?" Kida asked.
"The doctor." Milo said. "He's Sweet."
"Oh, he is kindly." Kida said.
"No, no, no, that... that's his name." Milo said as they walked across some gangplanks as some fishermen checked their nets.
"His name is Kindly?" Kida frowned.
"No, Sweet." Milo said. "Well, I mean, he's kindly, too."
"So all of your doctors are sweet and kindly?" Kida frowned as they walked through a village as a boy chased a group of bluish-green Ostrich-like reptiles called Blue Boids that looked like the extinct Moas of New Zealand.
"No. Well, I-I'm sure some are." Milo said. "O-Ours is, but that's not a requirement. You're missing the point."
"You are confusing me." Kida said.
"Okay, let's try this again." Aviva said. "The doctor's name is Sweet."
They walked off as Audrey and Cookie exploring the village saw an Atlantean getting tattoos.
"Wow. Look at all those tattoos." Audrey said.
"Shoot. That ain't nothin'." Cookie said. "Look here what I got." He lifted his short up revealing the map of the United States on his chest as Audrey was lightly disturbed. "All 38 United States. Watch me make Rhode Island dance. Go on, baby dance." He then slapped his belly making it give a wave-like motion as Audrey struggled not to vomit as his stomach sloshed. "There you go."
Later on, 2 Atlantean boys giggled as they rushed by Kida, Milo, Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy as Milo lifts one up and onto his shoulders as they headed to a hut.
The other bot went over to a man as he spoke in Atlantean and lifts up as he is likely the boy's father and greets the group as a bluish-purple Dicynodont-like creature with 5 compound bug-like eyes and a mendable-like mouth chittered as it was called a Bahadmok Tiger.
Later, they were all eating as Milo was trying to use the feeding utensils right.
"Cookies are sweet, but yours is not." Kida said trying to get the full picture of everyone. "Sweet is kindly, but that is not his name. Audrey is sweet, but she is not your doctor."
Milo then grabbed to handfuls of foods and shoved them in his mouth.
"And the little digging animal called Mole, he is your pet?" Kida finished.
"Close enough." Milo said.
"How do you work these?" Martin wondered fiddling his utensil.
Close by, Sweet, Mole and Vinny were eating as Mole was enjoying himself. Though Vinny brought out a strange shellfish-like creature which creeped him out as Mole slurped in his bowl.
"Oh, and don't forget to eat the head." Sweet said ate a shellfish. "That's where all the nutrients are."
Mole then came up with a mouthful of food and swallowed it, and then burped.
Meanwhile, outside the city, a truck stood by as footsteps was heard.
And then 3 shadows loom off the tarp as one moved the tarp aside revealing a crate.
A member grabbed the crate and placed it down as the lid bounced off revealing a few rifles. A masked member grabs one and cocks and loads it.
Author's Note:
I apologize for the long wait.
Been a little busy with other things.